Warriners Wood, Lake District, Spring
A brighter weekend means a long Sunday morning above Kendal.
A brighter weekend means a long Sunday morning above Kendal.
We’ve been to Warriners Wood many times before, after we found it during the winter of 2021. As of spring this year it appears to have survived the 2021/2022 storm season rather well, and some of my favourite trees are still standing strong.
A “Warriner” is an old Scottish/English term for a gamekeeper—that is, someone who’s job is to manage game in a park. I assume this woodland was once part of a gamekeeper’s land. Saying that, Warriner has also since become a fairly popular surname. Who knows?
Even in early April we chanced upon what we think are bluebells. Already. Before the wild garlic has flowered. Crazy.
Photos taken on my Fujifilm X-T2 using my three prime lenses: a Fujinon 23mm f/2.0, a Laowa 9mm f/2.8, and an adapted Pentax SMC 55mm f/2.0. Images made 80% in-camera using the Astia film simulation, finished off in Lightroom and Affinity Photo.
Heading up Brigsteer Road, someone’s now erected an impressive wicker sculpture of a deer (I think?).
Following Brigsteer Road past our usual route up the back of Scout Scar. This farm will be full of lambs now, I imagine.
Warriner’s Wood is up to the left. The sun finally comes out to play.
How lush this will all look when the trees are all in leaf.
As the road starts winding ahead, a small opening in the drystone wall to our left gives us access down the slope to Warriner’s Wood.
Nowt in the way of daffodils in Warriner’s Wood, but the leaves of bluebells are plentiful. This place will host a glorious carpet of them in a month’s time.
My favourite tree in Warriner’s Wood. Or rather, a collection of trees sharing the same root system. I elected to attach my 9mm ultra-wide lens and make a 6-shot vertorama of this tree, from bottom to top. Pretty happy with how it came out!
Lisabet in her element, whilst also beautifully blending in with palette of the scenery.
A trio of trees in this pasture field.
Following the hedgerow back down the slopes of Helsington Laithes, with the Helm serving as a local beacon in the distance.
A Cumbrian pastoral scene.
This gorgeous cottage at the bottom of Helsington Laithes is always worth a photo or two.
I wonder how old it is…
The road back to Kendal, lined with the last of this season’s daffodils.
Pandemic Peregrinations: Helsington, Cumbria, Spring
We’ve definitely had better light conditions recently.
We’ve definitely had better light conditions recently.
Nevertheless, Lisabet and I embarked on a solid 15 km hike today. From the front door, down the A6, through Helsington Laithes up to Scout Scar, south towards Helsington Church, through Berry Holme Farm, across the A591 to Hawes Bridge, and back north through the fields to Kendal.
It’s a good day when you get 20,000+ steps in and lots of photos.
All photos shot on a Fujifilm X-T2 using my three lenses: a Samyang 35mm f/1.2, a Laowa 9mm f/2.8, and an adapted Pentax SMC 55mm f/2.0. Developed using RNI’s Kodachrome film profiles.
Catkins belonging to the common hazel tree, or Corylus avellana. Always good to see these, a sign of spring.
Here’s a thing: did you know there’s such a job/profession as Lichenologist? Isn’t that wonderful? And such a crucial organism, too.
An appeasing group of common yew, Taxus baccata. Most parts of the tree is poisonous… just so you know.
Some structure we found when wandering south through Helsington Barrows. Potential apocalypse shelter?
Lisabet drinking in the views south from Helsington Barrows. It was a rather hazy day.
The way towards Helsington Church.
A rather beautiful tree.
The textures of a particularly gorgeous and large oak in the grounds of Berry Holme Farm.
Holstein cows happily munching away. Won’t be long until they’re let out onto the fields.
The lane back down the valley. This is where we cross the A591 and heads towards Hawes Bridge.
Hawes Bridge. Never get sick of this place. Thankfully the limestone around the gorge was dry enough to get close to the falls.
The point where the River Kent is forced through a narrow limestone passage, gouging out a mini-gorge in the process. The water was super clear.
Don’t get too close to the ledges…
The other side of Hawes Bridge. This is was also our spot for a brief rest and an apple.
Further up the River Kent, where conditions are more calm. Plenty of sheep around too, and we’re starting to see lambs appear in the fields around here.
The way forward. Nearly back at Kendal.
Near Scroggs Wood there were plenty of Mallard ducks and swans milling about the river shore.
My first sighting of cherry blossom this year.
Pandemic Peregrinations: Scout Scar, Cumbria, Winter
Today, it really felt like spring is on its way.
Today, it really felt like spring is on its way.
This week has been extremely wet, Saturday in particular, so it was a veritable relief when Sunday emerged with blue skies and bright sun. We quickly took the opportunity to get outside for a solid wander towards, and around, Scout Scar, clocking up nearly 8-miles of hiking all in all.
Lisabet’s research had identified a slightly different route up Scout Scar than the one we usually took, and it was rather beautiful.
Birds were singing their little lungs out, snowdrops and crocuses were blooming, and we even saw some erect shoots of daffodils. Spring is coming.
We completed the day with a tasty reward from Joey’s Café.
It felt great to get out in a Blue Sky day.
Photos taken on my Fujifilm X-T2 using both my Samyang 35mm f/1.2 lens and Laowa 9mm f/2.8 lens. Developed using a variety of RNI’s Kodachrome film profiles.
The Ring o’ Bells pub in Kendal, definitely seen better days. It’s one of the few pubs in Britain that’s built on Consecrated ground.
You can find this sculpture alongside the A6 in Hawesmead Park. Created by Andy Levy, it symbolises racial equality and friendship.
Romney’s pub in Kendal. Said to be haunted by a ghost called Agnes; the rumour goes that she’s the great great aunt of US Senator Mitt Romney.
We had to stop and take photos of this wonderful tree proudly displayed in someone’s front garden. No idea what type it is, looks like some sort of eucalyptus. Any ideas?
We came off the A6 onto the small country lane towards Helsington Laithes. This gorgeous Listed cottage featured a beautiful garden; so pleasantly English and idyllic that I had to stop for a photo.
Beyond Helsington Laithes we crossed the fields near Warriner’s Woods and made our way through Helsington Barrows towards the cliffs of Scout Scar.
A beautifully constructed drystone wall with a small aperture that caught my eye.
Up onto the cliffs of Scout Scar, where I first fell in love with Cumbria. I spotted this wee little tree making a life of its own down the steep cliffs of Scout Scar.
The cliffs of Scout Scar south of Hodgson’s Leap are some of the most dramatic in this landscape. I wanted to emphasise the sheer drop towards the valley floor.
Like a giant has taken a good ol’ bite out of the landscape.
Moving north towards Hodgson’s Leap. I waited for some fellow morning hikers to enter the frame in order to provide perspective of Scout Scar’s cliffs.
I love the way limestone geology can provide some of the most dramatic landscapes.
Near Hodgson’s Leap the cliffs break up more, but are no less precipitous.
Looking back the way we came, once we’d reached Hodgson’s Leap. The day was clear enough to be able to make out the Kent Estuary as it flows out into Morecambe Bay.
A panoramic perspective of our cliff top walk.
A challenge I enjoy doing on Scout Scar is finding interesting compositions involving the fell’s naked ash trees.
Heading back down Brigsteer Road there’s a line of trees I love taking photos of, totally covered in moss and vines.
See? Gorgeous trees.
Lisabet queued up at Joey’s Café to get some tasty treats, so I went wandering around the area looking for compositions with my ultra wide 9mm lens.
Up on Stricklandgate Bridge I saw this elderly gentleman enjoying some time with the local birds and feeding them.
One of Kendal’s largest stores, Beales, fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was already doing poorly in any case; the pandemic was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. At least the open windows showing a depressingly empty department store have been covered up with some creativity.
The Shakespeare Pub, next door to the Master’s House Tea Room. Through the yard is the Shakespeare Centre, a meeting hall. Formerly the Shakespeare Theatre, it was Kendal’s first purpose built theatre in 1829.